Students research a place-based climate pressure, write a two-path decision story with scientifically plausible consequences, and code navigation between the choice and outcome pages.
Pacing
1 class · 60 min
Grade
Grade 7
Coding
Beginner
Students codePlayer ActionsOn Page StartSequenceParallel
Opens a private practice project in the Studio — no account needed.
Why do climate decisions involve tradeoffs rather than simple right answers?
Students will be able to
Research a climate issue such as biodiversity loss, water scarcity, deforestation, or pollution.
Write a narrative with branching paths exploring different environmental outcomes.
Code interactive story elements highlighting consequences of various decisions.
Share their stories to discuss and reflect on environmental impact.
Key vocabulary
dikefloodplaintradeoffcautionary tale
Assessment
Formative
Use milestone checks, organizer responses, and daily test evidence to guide feedback.
Summative
The setting, dilemma, choices, and two outcomes use evidence accurately and show connected consequences with realistic limits. Each choice reaches the intended outcome, the cautionary route can return to the decision, and music or animation supports the differing moods.
The student journey
From reading to an interactive project
Elementari is a browser-based tool for creating illustrated, interactive stories and projects. Students plan their writing in the Student Kit, then add it to a digital project in the editor, called Studio.
1
📖
Read
The reading provides background knowledge or a model of writing for students to draw on. The lesson plan explains its connection to the project.
📖The Country That Let the River In
In the winter of 1995, the rivers of the Netherlands rose and kept rising. Water pressed against the dikes — the great earthen walls that keep a quarter of the country from flooding — and in the river region, roughly a quarter of a million …
Students use the Student Kit's storyboard to plan and draft their project. Choose High Support, Guided Support, or Independent to adjust the writing scaffolds.
Student mission
Write a choose-your-path story where one climate choice decides a place's future.
2Student Kit · sneak peek
High Support
The ___ That ___ [names the place and the surprising choice, echoing the passage's own title]
Key Words from the Passagedikefloodplaintradeoffcautionary tale
Glossary a kid-friendly definition for every key term
In the studio, students bring the project to life — adding art and following the exact writing and coding steps shown below. The Studio Compass walks them through it, one step at a time.
🧭Studio CompassStep 1 / 9
Research & Prewriting 📚
Select a climate issue (biodiversity loss, water scarcity, deforestation, climate change, or pollution) Conduct research - Use the Research Organizer ( PDF or google doc ) to help.
Key words — tap to learnobject block
Each step checks off & advances on its own
All 9 studio steps · dynamic to the project
1Research & Prewriting 📚
2Beginning Your Story Adventure 🚀
3Introducing the Dilemma ❓
4Outcome 1 - The Positive Path ➕
5Outcome 2 - The Cautionary Tale ➖
6Coding Navigation - Story Choices 💻
7Coding Navigation - Story Flow 💻
8Coding Background Music 🎶
9Be Creative 🎉
4
🔁
Polish
ongoing
Teacher and peer feedback pin right onto the project — students revise until it's ready to share.
Feedback on the project2 pins
🍎
Add one more sentence here so readers get the full picture.
👍 2Teacher
A
The interaction is clear — it helps the reader follow the project!
Students finish and test their projects. Work submitted through a class goes to the teacher for review; publishing a project makes it public with a shareable link.
Open these resources as web pages, then use Print to print them or save a PDF. The Student Kit supports the writing; Studio provides the on-screen build steps.
A couple of things to gather, a few quick steps to prep — then you're ready to hand it to students.
What you need
One device per student or pair
Internet connection
Student Kit or printed organizer
Research Organizer
Writing Organizer
A device per student or pair
Headphones or speakers
Prep before class
1Preview the designated builder story.
2Review the ordered milestones and Student Kit.
3Decide whether students work independently or in pairs.
Teacher background
What you need to know
Key terms
dike
a wall of earth or stone built to hold back water
floodplain
low land beside a river that naturally floods when the water rises
tradeoff
a choice that gains one benefit by giving up another
cautionary tale
a story showing how a choice can lead to harm
Watch for these misconceptions
✕
The positive choice instantly solves the whole climate issue. →Add one limitation, delayed effect, or need for continued collective action.
✕
The negative path is punishment rather than a plausible consequence of the choice. →Return to the evidence and write the direct short- and longer-term effects without moralizing.
Standards alignment
Aligned to the standards you teach
Every task maps to a specific standard, so planning and reporting are covered.
Tracking 7 frameworks: Common Core ELA, Common Core Math, NGSS +4
CCSS · ELA16CSTA7ISTE11AASL3NGSS15 frameworks · 38 standards · DOK 2–3
CCSS · ELA
Common Core State Standards — English Language Arts
16 standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related questions when appropriate.
Systematically test and refine programs using a range of student-created inputs.
3A-AP-16
Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue.
2-AP-13
Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.
3A-AP-19
Systematically design and develop programs for broad audiences by incorporating feedback from users.
Also addressed2-AP-15 · 2-AP-19 · 3A-AP-23
ISTE
ISTE Standards for Students
11 standards
ISTE 1.4.a
Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts, or solving authentic problems.
ISTE 1.4.c
Students develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
ISTE 1.6.d
Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
ISTE 1.5.d
Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Also addressedISTE 1.3.a · ISTE 1.3.b · ISTE 1.1.c · ISTE 1.6.b · ISTE 1.6.c · ISTE 1.5.c · ISTE 1.3.d
AASL
AASL National School Library Standards
3 standards
AASL I.A.1
Learners display curiosity and initiative by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.
Also addressedAASL I.B.1 · AASL I.B.3
NGSS
Next Generation Science Standards
1 standard
NGSS MS-ESS3-5
Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
Full task-by-task mapping — including Depth of Knowledge — is in the answer key.
Differentiation & accessibility
Choose the writing support
These are the three support options in the Student Kit. Choose the scaffolds students need while keeping the same project.
High Support
More writing scaffolds
Sentence frames break the response into manageable parts
Supplied words and ideas help students get started
Students still have space to write their responses
Guided Support
A starting point for writing
Task prompts and selected sentence starters
Writing cues and word banks where supplied
Space to develop each response
Independent
Less scaffolding
The same project and required writing tasks
Open response space without the support frames
Students develop their own wording
Accessibility, built inPredictable step-by-step structureOne task at a time · Studio CompassHighlighted response areasLow-stimulation printMovement-friendly pacingDesigned so every student can design, write, and code — with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia in mind.
Questions
Teacher FAQ
Do I — or my students — need to know how to code?
No prior coding knowledge is required to start. Students follow on-screen build steps in Studio. Coding difficulty describes the project's complexity; teachers may still need to help students test and revise. The lesson plan supports teaching, and the Answer Key provides sample writing responses.
How long does this lesson take?
About 80, paced into 45-minute class periods. You can spread it out or compress it — students pick up where they left off, so it doesn't have to finish in one sitting.
What devices does this lesson work on?
Use a Chromebook, laptop, desktop or tablet with a modern browser and an internet connection. The project editor does not support phones. Try the build on your class devices before teaching.
What is Studio Compass?
Studio Compass is the step-by-step guide inside the Studio. It shows students what to do next, identifies the exact coding blocks they need, and confirms completed milestones so they can keep moving independently.
How does this lesson support different learners?
The Student Kit has High Support, Guided Support and Independent writing profiles. They change the amount of scaffolding for the same project. Choose a profile in the kit before printing, and use the lesson plan's differentiation suggestions.
Ready when you are
Bring this lesson to your class
Import your class, assign in one click, and watch them build — the whole kit comes with it.
